Device for marking the bottom of a bottle

ABSTRACT

The device for marking the bottom of a bottle is for identification thereof among a series of bottles arranged so that only the bottom of the bottle can be seen. This device is includes a labels made out of a rigid or semi-rigid material having a front face, as a data carries, and a back face onto which is applied at least one part made out of a resilient material covered with an adhesive on its face opposite the labels, for sticking the latter onto the annular rim of the bottom of a bottles.

RELATED U.S. APPLICATIONS

Not applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

REFERENCE TO MICROFICHE APPENDIX

Not applicable.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a device for marking the bottom of a bottle for its identification among a series of bottles arranged so that only the bottom of these bottles can be seen.

The object of the present invention is to provide a simple marking device allowing to very easily locate a bottle, for example arranged in a wine cellar so that only its bottom can be seen.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In wine cellars, the bottles are usually lined up in horizontal position on racks or in cupboards especially designed for this purpose and the small distance preserved between two successive lines makes almost invisible the label which decorates the body of these bottles.

When the neck of these bottles is directed towards the observer, there are some chances that the latter can identify in a more or less unquestionable way the shape corresponding to the type of bottle sought for, knowing that this shape usually differs according to the production area (Alsace, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne . . . ).

There are obviously not as many different shapes of bottles as there are produced wines and it is almost absolutely necessary to handle a more or less significant number of bottles to finalize the search, i.e. to find the chosen one.

If only the bottom of the bottles is made visible, as such is usual in some wine cupboards, the identification of the shape of a bottle becomes more delicate. Moreover, the colored outer capsule can then not help locating the chosen bottle and there is hardly any chance of noticing neither the label on the body of the bottle nor, of course, the collar the bottles of some wines are provided with.

Therefore, the number of bottles to be handled in order to find the right one is in this case increased.

To that should be added that, if this handling is hardly practical to perform the selection, it is not advised for fragile wines, known as aged wines.

There have thus been devised bottle-identification devices which are designed capable, as the case may be, of being provided on the neck or the bottom of the latter.

In particular, in EP-0-365,015 is described a bottle-identification device comprising a data carrier with fastening means allowing to position it, as the case may be, on the neck or the bottom of the bottle. In particular, these fastening means are in the form of snap-on or clamping legs. In the case of marking the bottom of a bottle, the clamping legs are in the form of three claws enclosing the bottom of the bottle and extending in the shape of a star from a circular pellet forming, substantially, the data carrier.

Likewise, from EP-1,126,433 is known a bottle-identification device, in particular applicable to bottles arranged so that only the bottom portion can be seen by an observer.

As described in this document, this identification device is in the form of a cup made out of a transparent material designed capable of being encased onto the bottom of a bottle and inside which is positioned a label serving as data carrier.

In another embodiment, the bottom of the cup can itself be used as data carrier.

One understands that the solutions provided through these two documents of the state of the art have the drawback of being dependent on the cross-section of the bottles which one wishes to identify.

Indeed, in the case of EP-1,126,433, the user must, in all cases, have a large inventory of cups of different cross-sections. Likewise, unless the types of bottles likely to be marked by means of such an identification device are selected, the manufacturer must be able to provide his customers with an invariable number of different cup shapes, knowing that not all the bottles have a round cross-section.

Though the clamping legs of the identification device provided in EP-0,865,015 are designed elastically deformable, such an identification device remains nevertheless dedicated to a well-defined bottle cross-section, for otherwise the clamping force produced by these legs is, as the case may be, either too small and the identification device cannot be maintained properly on the bottom of a bottle, or too high, thus making the identification device uneasy to be used.

In all the cases, the apron of a member in the form of cup or the clamping legs form members projecting over the periphery of a bottle which can easily be caught when taking an adjacent bottle.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Thus, the present invention pretends to be capable of solving these problems raised by the known identification devices aimed at being provided on the bottom of a bottle.

Thus, the invention relates to a device for marking the bottom of a bottle for its identification among a series of bottles arranged so that only the bottom of the bottle can be seen, characterized in that it consists of a label made out of a rigid or semi-rigid material comprising a front face, as a data carrier, and a back face against which is inserted at least a part made out of a resilient material covered with an adhesive, on its face opposite the label, for sticking the latter on the annular rim of the bottom of a bottle.

According to a particular embodiment, onto this back face of said label are applied several parts made of a resilient material covered with an adhesive, these parts being in particular distributed over a circle corresponding to an average bottle cross-section.

According to a particular embodiment, a part made out of resilient material includes an adhesive on each of its faces, one of which contributes to its sticking onto the back face of the label.

Advantageously, the front face of the label forming the data carrier comprises several identification areas, for example of different colors forming a generic recognition code for the wine contained in a bottle to be marked.

In particular, the front face of the label comprises a central writing area on the periphery of which extend the identification areas in the form of sections.

Finally, it is indeed through an inventive step that there has been devised to cause a marking device to adhere to the annular rim of the bottom of a bottle, since, by definition, such a rim has hardly any adhesion area.

By providing the label with a part made of a resilient material including an adhesive face, the latter is capable of closely matching the curvilinear shape the annular rim of the bottom of a bottle includes. The adhesive thus matches this curvilinear surface, in order to keep the marking device in place, and for a long period of time, on the bottom of any bottle whatsoever.

To that should be added that in a wine cellar the changes in temperature are very small and the bond of the adhesive remains constant.

It is, finally, by taking into consideration all these data and, more in particular, by departing from a prejudice of the specialist in the field, namely that a rim of a bottom of a bottle has no adhesion area, that the present invention has been carried out.

It obviously represents a clear progress with respect to the solutions of the state of the art.

Thus, the size of the label can be selected so that it is independent from the cross-section of any bottle whatsoever. By way of an example, this label will be selected with a cross-section at most equal to that corresponding to the smallest bottle.

Furthermore, the design of a label forming, on one side, a data carrier and receiving, on its opposite side, an adhesive part made of a resilient material, proves to be of a manufacturing cost considerably lower than the identification devices known so far. Under such circumstances, one can imagine that such labels would be disposable labels. However, by using an adhesive for multiple applications, a marking device according to the invention can be re-used after the first time a bottle has been marked.

Further aims and advantages of the present invention will clearly appear from the following description, which relates to one embodiment given by way of an indicative and non-restrictive example.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

This description will be better understood when referring to the attached drawing, in which

FIG. 1 is a schematic and perspective view of a marking device according to the invention applied to the bottom of a bottle;

FIG. 2 is a schematic and cross-sectional view of the bottom of this bottle receiving the marking device in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing the back face of the label corresponding to the marking device according to the invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of this label comprising, at the level of its back face, a part made out of a resilient material;

FIG. 5 schematically shows an example of distribution of several parts made out of a resilient material on the back face of a label;

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of the front face of the label corresponding to the marking device according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As shown in the figures of the attached drawing, the present invention relates to a marking device 1, in particular aimed at being inserted against the bottom 2 of a bottle 3 for the identification of the latter among a series of bottles, for example arranged in a wine cellar, so that only the bottom of these bottles can be seen.

Usually, the bottom 2 of a bottle 3 has a concave shape, so that it can stably rest on a support through an annular rim 4.

As can be seen in FIG. 2, this annular rim 4 has a round general shape, knowing that any sharp edge at the level of a bottle, in particular made out of glass, could represent a danger for the user.

According to the invention, the marking device 1 comprises a label 5 made out of a rigid or semi-rigid material, for example cardboard or plastic material. This label 5 comprises a front face 6 defining a data carrier 7 and a back face 8.

Onto the latter is applied at least a part 9 made out of a resilient material covered with an adhesive 10, on its face 11 opposite the label 5, in order to allow to stick the latter onto the annular rim 4 of the bottom 2 of a bottle 3.

As can be seen in FIG. 2, thanks to the resilient material the part 9 is comprised of, the adhesive face 11 of the latter can match the round shape of this annular rim 4 and thus guarantee a perfect adhesion of the label 5 to the bottom 2 of the bottle 3.

Obviously and as has been shown through FIG. 5, onto this back face 8 of the label 5 can be applied several of these parts 9, 9A, 9B, 9C made out of a resilient material covered with an adhesive 10.

According to an embodiment, these parts 9, 9A, 9B, 9C are distributed at the level of this back face 8 of the label 5 over a circle 15 corresponding to an average bottle cross-section, knowing that only one or only part of these parts 9, 9A, 9B, 9C can be used for adhering the label 5 to the bottom 2 of a bottle 3 to be marked.

Obviously, the present invention is in no way limited to a label having a circular shape.

It should be noted that a part 9 made out of a resilient material can be applied through gluing to the back face 8 of a label 5. Thus, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, such a part 9 can comprise, on each one of its opposite faces 11, 14, an adhesive 10, 10′.

In particular, the adhesive 10 on the face 11 intervening in sticking the label onto a bottle 3 can be defined by a re-usable adhesive. In this way, the label 5 can at will be stuck, then removed without difficulty from the bottom 2 of a bottle 3, and even be re-used, after a first use, for marking a new bottle. This type of re-usable adhesive has the advantage of not leaving any unpleasant trace of adhesive on a bottle.

This adhesive I 0 on the face 11 of a part 9 affixed on the label 5 can initially be covered with a protective film 17 that the user removes when marking a bottle. If the label 5 comprises several parts 9, 9A, 9B, 9C, one can imagine that at each new marking of a bottle one uncovers, through removing the protective film, the adhesive of a new part 9, 9A, 9B, 9C, which will be used to stick the label 5 onto the bottle to be marked.

As regards the front face 6, forming the carrier data 7, it advantageously comprises a plurality of identification areas 15, for example of different colors. In particular, these colors can correspond to a generic identification code for the contents of a bottle to be marked.

It should be observed that the qualifier color should be taken in the broadest generic meaning. In particular, on either of these identification areas 15 can be applied symbols or other graphical characters allowing to identify a type of wine. Thus, the representation, in either of these areas, of a small circle or a sphere can correspond to sparkling wines.

It is then enough for the user to mark one or more of these identification areas 15 on the label 5 to be able, in a wine cellar, to very quickly locate the type of wine contained in the bottle marked with the marking device 1 according to the invention.

Advantageously, this label 5 also comprises, at the level of its front face 6, at least one writing area 16. In particular, at the level of this area 16, the user can apply any type of information aimed at identifying a bottle.

Here too, the qualifier writing for an area 16 must be considered in a generic meaning. In particular, on this area 16 can be applied a pre-printed self-adhesive label, even carrying a bar code likely to be recognized using adapted optical character recognizing means.

It should be noted, in particular, that onto this front face 6, corresponding to the data carrier 7 of the label 5, can be affixed a self-adhesive pellet carrying the identification 15 and writing 16 areas. Thus, it is enough, in the event of re-using a label 5, to affix to it a new self-adhesive pellet on which can be marked the areas or can be applied the inscriptions corresponding to the new bottle of wine to be marked by means of said label 5.

Finally, this data carrier 7 corresponding to the front face 6 can be made out of a material on which any inscription made by means of an adapted pen is erasable, in order to allow, here too, an indefinite re-use of a label 5. 

1. Device for marking a bottom of a bottle for identification among a series of bottles arranged so that only the bottom of the bottle can be seen, said device comprising: a label comprised of a rigid or semi-rigid material comprising a front, as a data carries, and a back faced onto which is applied at least a part out comprised of a resilient material covered with an adhesive on face opposite the label, for sticking said label onto an annular rim of the bottom of the bottle.
 2. Marking device according to claim 1, further comprising: on the front face, several parts being in particular distributed over a circle corresponding to an average bottle cross-section.
 3. Marking device according to claim 1, wherein said part comprises, on each opposite face thereof, an adhesive for applying it the part onto the back face of the and sticking the part onto the bottom of a bottle.
 4. Marking device according to claim 1, wherein said adhesive on the face of the part used for sticking the label onto a bottle is comprised of a re-usable adhesive.
 5. Marking device according to claim 1, wherein said adhesive on the faced of a part is covered with a protective film.
 6. Marking device according to claim 1, wherein the front face, forming the carrier data, comprises a plurality of identification area corresponding, in particular, to a generic identification code for contents of a bottle to be marked.
 7. Marking device according to claim 1, wherein said front face, forming a data carrier, comprises at least one writing area.
 8. Marking device according to claim 1, further comprising: on the front face forming a data carrier of the label, a self-adhesive pellet carrying identification areas and at least one writing area affixed to the front face.
 9. Marking device according to claim, further comprising: a bar code applied onto the writing area. 